


Finals and Theater

by DiRoxy



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Chekhov - Freeform, Human AU, Kissing, M/M, Matthew is only mentioned, Shameless Theater Writing From a Theater Major, The Cherry Orchard, Theater AU, mostly happy, slight sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiRoxy/pseuds/DiRoxy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finals are upon the theater class and they're splashing a scene from The Cherry Orchard. Al and Ivan are paired on the stage together and Al has had a major crush on Ivan since day one. But he doesn't let that stop him from going through with the scene, as heart wrenching as it can be.<br/>Besides, good things lie on the other side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finals and Theater

**Author's Note:**

> This is Raine, writing shameless theater things, because Raine is a theater major. Now, this was inspired by real life events, though I embellished and added the ending. Pretty much I actually had to do this scene for my acting final this semester, and it's heart breaking. So of course, I thought of Alfred and Ivan because I am Hetalia trash.
> 
> So I hope you enjoy it, and don't mind terribly much how it's written. Writing out stage directions and character emotions for actors was a little harder than I thought it was going to be. Had fun though.
> 
> Either way, have fun reading, and I'd love some feedback in the comments below.
> 
> Have a wonderful day!  
> -Raine

This actually was not what he had expected when he’d signed up for the acting class at his university. Sure, he’d expected to act, but he hadn’t expected the charged emotions that went with it. From day one their teacher had pushed them out of their comfort zones and challenged them in new ways. Of course, studying Chekhov’s work only did that even more. He had read more Chekhov plays this semester than he had in his entire time in the theater world.

As it stood, their teacher had forgone the final in favor of simply seeing how far everyone had progressed in their work and their method. He was excited, but also nervous. They were splashing scenes from _The Cherry Orchard_ and had had to learn both sets of lines because they never knew who they were going to be thrown on stage with, or as which character. He was fully prepared to play either Varya or Lopakhin. But still his leg bounced as he sat in his little blue plastic chair and waited for the professor to stop talking.

Finally she turned and picked out two people from his class, putting them on the makeshift stage the room had. He watched idly, while the scene was heartbreaking – particularly when they were stopped – he still was focused more on himself and on getting it right. If anything he could claim it was because he didn’t want a lecture from his teacher or the TA’s. But next she pointed to him.

“Al, you’ll play Varya. Ivan, you’ll play Lopakhin.”

Al lifted his head quickly and then nodded, turning his head slightly to catch his classmate’s eye. He never really talked to Ivan much, but he did know that the man was a transfer student from Russia looking to stay in the US longer, and that he’d been very happy to be focusing on Chekhov’s work this semester. Not that he could blame him for that, he supposed it was like a touch of home for the Russian. It probably didn’t help that he’d been crushing on him hard for the entire semester.

He caught Ivan’s eye though and smiled, and it only brightened when the Russian smiled back. He stood and went to the far corner by the doorway, hesitating a moment and then exiting. He could make a full entrance, and this way he wouldn’t be able to see Ivan get into character. He could simply be and put himself into Varya’s shoes.

Al took a deep breath and then reached up to fluff his own hair. The words weren’t hard and the scene wasn’t long, he could do this just fine. Inside was a man that wanted to marry him. He had bought his Cherry Orchard and was rich, and he wanted to marry him. Little ol’ Varya. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and peaked through the door. Ivan was pacing on the stage and the way he rubbed his hands together said that he was nervous.

Al couldn’t help his smile. That made two of them.

Finally he opened the door and stepped inside. The hush fell over the classroom, every other student turned into the perfect audience member. But he blocked them out, they weren’t there. It was him and Ivan.

Varya and Lopakhin.

He watched the elation that crossed over Ivan’s face, saw the way he lit up and then folded in as his nerves got the best of him. He needed to do something, he had to let him know that _yes_ , he wanted this marriage too. But he couldn’t tell him outright, maybe edging at it?

“Strange,” he said. “I can’t find it.”

Al watched Ivan blink slowly and then tip his head to the side, it was childishly endearing and he recognized that the man did that quite often over the semester. “What are you looking for?” Ivan asked.

He hummed and crossed to the stage, patting down his pockets and then idly checking a bag that he crossed by. “Packed it myself and I don’t remember,” he mused. He glanced over at Ivan from the corner of his eye. Was the man going to get the hint?

“Where are you off to now, Varya?”

Ah, apparently he wasn’t going to. Al bit back his sigh of disappointment and straightened up, turning to look at him. “I? To the Ragulin’s.” He paused to smile at him, though he held his ground from where he stood. “I’ve arranged to take charge there, as a housekeeper if you like.”

Ivan frowned and toyed with the edge of his scarf, worrying at his bottom lip for a moment as he contemplated that news. “At Yashevno?” he asked.

Alfred couldn’t help but listen to how the Russian rolled off Ivan’s tongue with natural ease. It was addicting when he thought about it, he’d always been caught up in how Ivan had said things over the course of their semester. But he came to himself enough to nod slightly in response to Ivan’s question.

“Fifty miles away.”

Another nod.

“Well, life in this house is ended.”

Al deflated and licked his lips slightly in a nervous gesture. He wasn’t going to ask was he? But he watched Ivan for a long moment before he turned away, flicking his gaze across the stage. “Where is it? Perhaps I put it in the chest…” He looked back to Ivan and took a hesitant step towards him. When the man focused back on him he stood still and just stared for a moment before thinking again. “Yes, life in this house is ended. There will be no more of it.”

Ivan cracked a faint smile before glancing away. He was playing with his scarf again, he was nervous. Alfred couldn’t tell if that was Ivan being nervous or Lopakhin being nervous. He supposed it didn’t matter in the end. “I’m just off the Karkhov,” the man said slowly, which prompted an interested “hmm” out of Al. “By the next train,” he clarified. “I have a lot of work to do there, but I’m leaving Yepihodov here. I’ve taken him on.”

“Oh.” It sounded disappointed to Al’s ears too. What happened to that dream of staying here with Lopakhin? Surely the man hadn’t changed his mind about the proposal in such a short time?

Ivan locked eyes with him and then let his hands fall to his sides, leaving his scarf alone. He walked over slowly and smiled. It was warmer than the smiles Al usually saw him give. “Do you remember? Last time this year it was snowing.” There was a far off look in the man’s eyes and he turned to look out. “But now it’s sunny, and there’s no wind. It’s still cold though, it must be 3 below.”

Al wasn’t quite certain when he’d ended up so close to Ivan, but he leaned into the warm hand that was placed on his shoulder. He had to look up at him, not by much, but just enough. It set his heart beating faster and it was harder to control, but he was more than willing to live in this moment. Whether as Alfred or Varya, he would take what attention he could get from Ivan. So he reciprocated, though his hand only went so far as to rest gently on Ivan’s chest just over his heart. “I didn’t check,” he said softly. He cracked a smile then and chuckled. “Besides, our thermometer’s broken.”

Ivan huffed out a laugh and brought his other hand up, cupping Al’s cheek. His thumb brushed over it slowly and Al leaned into it, turning his head slightly. He tried to show him with his eyes that he would say yes.

Finally the Russian got it.

Al met him halfway when he began to dip his head down. He could feel his breath against his mouth and the heat, but their lips only touched for the barest of seconds before a voice called out.

“Yermolai!”

Ivan jerked back and Al’s eyes flew open. He grasped onto Ivan, desperate not to let go and lose him. The plea was half formed on his lips when Ivan hardened and stepped away.

“This minute!”

Al watched his back as he left, and Ivan was halfway out of the room before he faltered and looked over his shoulder. Al’s breath shuddered out of him, and he didn’t call out to him. Instead he watched as Ivan turned back around and walked out the door he had entered in from only a few moments before. He placed his hand on his cheek, as if he could keep the warmth there from Ivan’s hand, and then closed his eyes against whatever might come up.

Vaguely he heard the door open again and the clapping and groaning of his peers, which prompted him to open his eyes again. Almost instantly he was enveloped in a warm hug, and there was a scarf tickling his nose. He laughed then and hugged Ivan back, pulling back with a grin after a moment. “Almost that time,” he said with a chuckle.

Ivan chuckled and nodded. “Indeed.”

Their professor smiled and cut through them. “Alright, good, let’s keep this moving we’ve got some good things happening here.”

Al grinned and gave Ivan a pat on the shoulder before going back to his seat. He refused to think of the almost kiss, after all it was only acting, and he lasted that way long past the end of his class. It wasn’t until he was home again in the apartment he shared with his brother that it hit. But then again, he found that he didn’t mind so much.

After all, he had a blinking message on his phone from Ivan.

_Help me with my monologue?_

And how could he resist.


End file.
